Spacer clamp for bumpers



R. B. FAG EOL SPACER CLAMP FOR UMPERS April 5, 1927.

Filed Nov. 11,-1925 Ill-Iliff i INVENTOR.

Le E l A/M ATTO NEYS.

spaced relation.

Patented Apr. 5, 1927.

j UNlTED kSTA-'rias y A 1,623,584 ATENT OFFICE.

,301mm B. rAGEor., or 4Los aNGELEsfcALmoaNm, AssIcNon To Amman CHAIN COMIPANY, INC.

SPACER CLAMP FOR lIBJ'MPISIRS.

l application med November 11 1925. 'seriai 110.68510..

This invention', relates to a spacer clamp for automobile bumpers, the purpose of such a clamp being to secure the intermediate port-ion of the front and rear bars of` an automobile bumper in relatively '.tixed permits the flexible movement'of the bars but only as a. unit, thereby greatly strengthening the bumper and preventing'easy distortion of the front bar or bars thereof. It is the primary object of the invention to provide an improved and 'readily detachable spacer clamp for thispurpose.

In the accompanyingdrawing I have shown onevspecitic embodiment of my'invention, but it will be vunderstood that the vinvention can be otherwise embodied and that the drawing is not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope .of the invention, the claims appended to this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a plan view of a bumper provided with my improved spacer clamp.

Figure 2 is a front View thereof. Figure 3 is an enlarged sectionall View of the clamp taken on line III-III of Figure 4. v

Figure 4 is .an enlarged front elevation of the clamp showing the same applied to the bumper as in Figure 2.

Figures 5 and 6 show the rear and front clamping plates. p

Referring more specifically to the drawing by reference characters, 1 indicates the rear bar of an` automobile bumper and 2 the twin front bars thereof, the front bars being bent upon themselves at the ends 3 of the bumper andthe extreme ends of the.. front and rear bars being connected together by clamps 4. The bars as illustrated are made from fiat resilient material as is wvell known in bumpers of this type.

My invention herein relates particularly to an improved spacer clamp for cooperating with the intermediate portion of the front and rear bars of an automobile bumper lto hold such bars 1n relatively fixed spaced relation, whereby the same can move` togetherresillently 1n the usual manner but` cannot so move independently. As hereinafter described, it'will be obvious that the use of this clamp greatly -strengthens the bumper and prevents distortion of the front bar or bars thereof.

Such clamping of the bars My improved spacer clamp comprises a front'pla'te 5 adapted 'to engage over the front surface o-f the twin'front bars 2, there bemg end projections 6 for engaging over the top and bottom edges of the bars as illustrated. A ,lug 7 projects rearvt'aidly from the central portion of this frontpla-te 5 in a manner adapted to extend between the ,twin bars 2 andfengage. against the rear bar. 1. lA Ushaped rear plate 8 is adapted to engage the rear face of the rear bar 1 l'ustrated in Figure 3, the bars 1 and 2 are .and the ends thereof to engageagainst the held securely clamped against both'forward and .rearward relative movement. It will be understood' however that the bars can move together 1n the usualv resilient manp ner and'that the front bar is reinforcedby the rear 4bar whereby easy distortion o f the front bar, as might be done whenunsupported by the rear bar, is prevented. As illustratedin the drawing, it "will be seen that'my improved clamp may be made of an ornamental design and that thesame may be yreadily detached from the bumper merely by removing one of the nuts 10.

It should be particularly noted'that my improved bumper clamp engages and cooperates with the bumper bars in a solely frictional manner, no drilling of the bars Whereby the same 4would be weakened or any change therein whatever, being necessary. The frictional engagement of the lclamp against the front and rear sides of the bars holds the intermediate portion of the barsv in spaced relation in a reinforcing manner, while permitting iiexibility of the bars at opposite sides of the clamp, which flexibility. would not be attained positively to the bars.

Having thus described my invention, what I vclaim is: p

1. In` a bumper, the combination of a .pair of horizontally spaced 4flexible bumper bars, a plate engaging over the front surface of the intermediate portion of the front lm by a clamp secured bar and having a rearwardly extending (lug,

a cooperating plate engaging over the rear surface of the rear bar, and means engaging -the rear plate and lug to hold the bars in a fixed spaced relation.

2. In a bumper, the combination of a' pair of horizontally spaced flexible bumper bars,

the front. bar comprising -a pair of twin bars vertically spaced, a plate engaging over the front, surface of the twin bars and having a lug extending rearwardly therebetween, a cooperating plate engaging over the rear surface of the rear bar, and means engaging the rear plate and lug to hold the front and rear bars in a fixed spaced relation. i

3. In a bumper, the combination of horizontally spaced front and rear flexible bumper bars, a plate engaging over the front surface of the intermediate portion of the front bar and having a rearwardly extending lug engaging against the rear bar, a cooperating plate-engaging over the rear surface of the rear bar and engaging against the front bar, and means engaging the rear plate and lug to hold-the front and rear bars in fixed relation by means of the parts engaging the same.

4. A spacer clamp for bumpers, comprising a lfront plate having a lug extending outwardly from the rear face thereof, a rear plate for engaging against a rear bumper bar, and means engaging the rear plate and lug to hold the front and rear plates together in a manner clamping a front and the rear bumper bars against relative lateral movement.

5. A spacer clamp for bumpers, comprising a front plate having a lug extending outwardly from the rear face th'ereof, a rear plate for engaging against a rear bumper bar, the lug having a hole therethrough and the rear plate having a pair of holes therethrough, and a bolt extending through the holes and holdingythe plates together in a manner adapted to clamp the front'and rear bars of the bumper against relative lateral movement.

e 6. A spacer clamp for bumpers, comprising a. front plate having a lug extending outwardly from the center of the rear face thereof, a U-shaped rear plate for engaging against a rear bumper bar and adapted to engage against the rear face of a cooperating front bumper bar, and a locking element engaging the rear plate and lug to hold the front and rear plates together in a manner adapted to'clamp the front and rear bumper bars against relative lateral movement.

` ROLLIE B. FAGEOL. 

